Judicial Watch has responded to false accusations of slander for revealing that the chief justice of Arizona’s Supreme Court agreed to ban the terms “illegal” and “aliens” in all of the state’s courtrooms at the request of the Hispanic Bar Association.

On Friday an Arizona Supreme Court official threatened to sue Judicial Watch for disclosing the information, which is documented in correspondence between Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association and the state’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, Ruth McGregor.

In a letter to Chief Justice McGregor, the Hispanic group requests that the terms not be used because they are inflammatory and create perceptions of judicial bias. Chief Justice McGregor agrees to the demands, writing in a letter that judges and employees will be asked to refrain from using certain derogatory terms in court documents and proceedings.

The information has created a storm of controversy and unwanted media attention for Arizona’s High Court as well as its chief justice.